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Plymouth County >> 1917 Index

History of Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917

M

Julius Mathwig

Agriculture has been the true source of man's dominion on earth ever since the primal existence of labor and has been the principal industry that has controlled for the most part all the fields of action to which his intelligence and energy have been devoted. In all civilized communities no calling is so certain of yielding a sure return as that of tilling the soil. There are times when the husbandman is sorely taxed in coaxing from Mother Earth all that he desires or even expects, yet she is kind and seldom fails the one who shows diligence in his task and proper management. Among the successful agriculturists who have assisted in the making Plymouth county, Iowa, one of the noted farming districts of the great middle West, was Julius Mathwig, now deceased. He was born in Germany, where agriculture is a science, in 1850, and came to the United States at the age of six years, with his parents, Gotleib and Minnie Mathwig, who located in Lincoln township, where they were among the early settlers. They established themselves on a farm, and there the son Julius grew to maturity. He assisted his father with the many farm duties and worked as a farm hand for others in the neighborhood.

In 1881 Julius Mathwig was united in marriage to Mary Wetrosky, the daughter of John and Anna Wetrosky, who were natives of Bohemia. In that country the parents received their educational training and there they were married and established their home.The father was a man whose asthetic side of life was highly developed, and he was a well known musician and a leader of many highly developed bands. He was a successful mason, at which he worked in his native land. In 1874 he and his family came to the United States, locating in Lincoln township, Plymouth county. He purchased a farm, but for a number of years he devoted much of his time to his trade. The farm was later developed and improved with a splendid frame house and good barn. This place he made his home until the time of his death, February 15, 1912. The widow is still living on the old home place. They were the parents of the following children; Mary, the widow of Julius Mathwig and a native of Bohemia; Anna, the wife of J. J. Aalfs; Josie, the wife of Gustaf Long; Joseph, who married Mary Munsch, and John, who married Ida Dahlmann. Some years before his marriage, Julius Mathwig purchased a farm of eighty acres in Lincoln township, and there he and his wife began their early married life and there they resided for eight years. The farm was then sold and they went to South Dakota, where Mr. Mathwig pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie land. After a residence of nine years the family left their home in South Dakota and moved to Nebraska, where they lived on a rented tract for two years, when they returned to Plymouth county. A farm of three hundred and twenty acres was purchased in section 19, Liberty township. The farm had been partially developed and there were an old house and barn on the place. The German instinct of Mr. Mathwig did not long allow him to leave the farm in an inferior condition. Fences were built and repaired, groves planted, and in 1911 the magnificent concrete block barn was erected, while two years later the splendid modern house was built, this also being of concrete blocks and a fine structure. The farm, with the splendid buildings and beautiful surroundings, presents a most pleasing sight and is indicative of the thrift, economy and good management of the builders of so fine an estate. It was here that Mr. Mathwig engaged in general farming and stock raising until the time of his death, on December 1, 1915.

Julius and Mary Mathwig were the happy parents of six children as follow: Tillie, Otto, George, John, Frank and Anna. Tillie is the wife of Thomas Waddle, one of the successful and prominent young farmers of Liberty township. Mr. and Mrs. Waddle are the parents of one child, Raymond Lowell; John was drowned in 1908 in Broken Kettle creek; the other children of the family are at home and under the wise supervision of the mother.

Hugh A. Maxwell, sheriff of Plymouth county, is a native of the Emerald Isle, but has been a resident of this country since he was two years of age.  He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, February 7, 1863, son of William and Mary Ann (Maxwell) Maxwell, both natives of Ireland, of Scottish parentage, whose last days were spent in this county.  It was in 1865 that William Maxwell and his family came to the United States.  They settled on Staten Island, where they made their home for five years, at the end of which time they came to Iowa and settled on a farm in the vicinity of Denison, in Crawford county, where they lived from 1869 to 1880, in which latter year they moved over to Plymouth county and established their home on a farm on section 10 of Elkhorn township.  Both William Maxwell and his wife spent the remainder of their lives in this county, his death occurring in 1906 in Garfield township, and hers in March, 1915.  They were the parents of twelve children, those still living, besides the subject of this sketch, being John, David and William, who live near Kingsley, this county, and James who lives in North Dakota.     

As noted above, Hugh A. Maxwell was but two years of age when he came to this country and he was but six years of age when the family moved from New York to this state.  He grew to manhood on the home farm in Crawford county, receiving his schooling in the public schools of that neighborhood, and when the family came over to Plymouth county he continued as an assistant to his father in the labors of the home farm in Elkhorn township until he began farming on his own account, his operations along the latter line being carried on in Elkhorn and Union townships, in which later township he is the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres in section 6.  For twenty years during the period of his activities as a farmer, Sheriff Maxwell operated a threshing rig during the seasons and gained a wide acquaintance throughout the county.  He ever has been an ardent Republican and in 1912 was made the nominee of his party for the office of sheriff of Plymouth county, and was elected to that office by a majority of 1,201.  His course in that office proved so highly acceptable to the people of the county that he was re-elected in 1914 by a majority of 2,090, the largest majority ever given a candidate for public office in Plymouth county up to that time, and in 1916 was again made his party's nominee for the office and was elected by a majority of 2,558.     

On March 10, 1896, Hugh A. Maxwell was united in marriage to Isabel Watson, of Union township, this county, and to this union four children have been born, namely: William, born on January 4, 1898; Fern, January 5, 1903; Anna, February 21, 1906, and Clara, January 1, 1908.  The Maxwells are attendants on the services of the Presbyterian church and Sheriff Maxwell, in his faternal relations, is a member of the Masonic lodge at LeMars and of the Modern Woodmen.

James McCartney submitted by K. Badgerow

James McCartney, a well-known retires farmer of Kingsley, this county, and an honored veteran of the Civil War, was born in Chester county Pennsylvania,on April 1, 1842, the son of Nicholas and Catherine ( Hibbert ) McCartney. Nicholas McCarntey was born in Ireland, of Scotch-Irish descent. At the ageof twelve years he came to the United States and for a time worked on a farmfor his Uncle in Ohio, after which he took up residence in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a factory. He married Catherine Hibbert in Philadelphia and some years later, with his family, came to Iowa, locating in Delaware County in the fall of 1856. Their established their home on a farmand there the parents resided for many years. The father was a member of the Presbyterian church, while the mother held membership in the Episcopal church. They were the parents of eight children, William, John, James, Robert, Nicholas,David, Mary and Ellen.

James McCartney was but a lad when he came to Iowa with his parents and hisyoung manhood was spent on the farm. He served as a soldier during the CivilWar and was married in Jones county to Alice C. Croston and in 1866 came to Plymouth County, where he engaged in general farming and stock raising for manyyears, after which he retired from active duties on the farm and moved to Kingsley,where he now resides. During his active life Mr. McCartney was for twelve yearsengaged in the buying of grain and he also spent some time in California. Fora time he lived at Le Mars and for five years was a resident of Cass county, Missouri, when he devoted much of his time to the chicken business. When he first came to Plymouth county, Mr. McCartney homesteaded one hundred and sixtyacres in Union township, which he developed and improved, becoming on of the successful men of that section of the county. He took much interest in local affairs and for some years served his township as trustee. He and his wife always took interest in the services of the Methodist Episcopal church of whichthey where members.

During the Civil War Mr. McCartney demonstrated his patriotism by enlisting in the service of the Union Army in 1862 and served until the end of the war. He was assigned to Company K, twenty-first regiment, where he was wounded three times within an hour, bullets taking affect in the arm, leg, and stomach. In addition to the Vicksburg campaign, he saw much active service throughout that memorable struggle. At the close of the war he returned to Iowa and was one of the very first settlers in the county, where he lived for so many years. Hestill remembers distinctly having killed elk, deer, wild turkey and other gamewhere the town of Kingsley now stands. At that time Sioux City was the nearestmarket of importance, and the only means of transportation over the prairie trailsat that time was with an ox-team, slow and uncertain. Today, where now are well-cultivated fields of growing grain, substantial and modern farm buildings, schools,and churches, there waved then the tall prairie grass, broken here and there by the sod house or a little shanty, built of logs or rough boards. The primitive house in which Mr. McCartney and his wife lived would not turn rain, and they had to use an umbrella to keep the water of the bed while they slept. Mr. McCartney broke the first ground on hi farm with on-team and his first help was an Indian with his squaw, who helped him with his harvest. It is need-less to say that such help was not at all times the most satisfactory, yet it wasthe best that could be had in those days. Such was the life experience by manyof the early settlers of this section, who have taken such an important part in the transformation of the wild prairie into the well-cultivated fields of today.

William McCartney submitted by K. Badgerow

William McCartney, one of Plymouth county's best-known pioneerfarmers, and a former trustee of Union township, now living retired from the active labors of the farm at his pleasant home in thattownship, is a native of Pennsylvania, but has been a resident of Iowasince he was seventeen years of age and of this bounty since pioneer days. He was born in the city of Philadelphia on October 8, 1838, son of Nicholas and Catherine ( Hibbard ) McCartney, the former a native of Ireland and the later, of England, whose last days were spent in DelawareCounty, this state.

Nicholas McCartney was but a lad when he came to this country from Ireland and he grew to manhood in the city of Philadelphia, where he marriedand where he was working as a teamster until he presently moved over into Delaware and there remained until 1856, in which year he came to Iowa and settled on a farm in Delaware county, where he and his wife spent the re-mainer of their lives. They where the parents of eight children, of whom six are still living. Of these children the subject of this sketch is the eldest and only one besides his brother, James, who is a resident of this county.

William McCartney received a limited schooling in the state of Delaware,to which state he moved with his parents from Philadelphia when but a child, and there worked in cotton mills until he came to Iowa with his parents in1856, he then being seventeen years of age. Upon his arrival in Delaware County he began working there as a farm hand, later renting a farm and afterhis marriage in 1864 established his home on the same, remaining there until1871, in which year he came to Plymouth county and homesteaded a tract ofeighty acres in Union township, where he and his wife have ever since made their home and where they are very comfortably situated, being widely known and honored pioneer residents of that part of the county. Mr. McCartney made valuable improvements on his place and added to the same by purchase, his place now consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has re-gistered under the name of "The Old People Home Farm." He is also the ownerof a quarter section of land in Nebraska.

In 1864, while living in Delaware county, William McCartney was united in marriage to Maria Croston, who was born in the state of New Jersey, daughter of Jonolson William and Maria ( Sinnitt ) Croston, the former a native to Ireland and the latter of the state of New York, who later moved to Illinoisand thence to Iowa, the former's last days having been spent in the home of Mr. and Mrs. McCartney in this county. To Mr. and Mrs. McCartney four child-ren have been born, namely: Mary Ann, who married Albert Cliff and has six children, Fred, Bertha, Bert, Hazel,James and Ernest; Alice, who marriedJohn Mace, who died, leaving one child, a daughter, Lillian, after whichshe married John Lenner ( Lehner ) and by this second union has three child-ren, Elsie, Jay and Alice; Samuel, who married Nettie Brace and has seven children, William, Mrytle, Jessie, Earl, Mazie, Daisy and Drusilla, and Nichols, who died in infancy. Mr. McCartney is a Republican and for manyyears has taken an active interest in local civic affairs, having servedthe public in several official capacities, township trustee for some yeasand also as supervisor of roads and school director.

John H. Mehlhop, a well-known and substantial retired farmer, Henry township, now living at Remsen, where he and his family are very comfortably situated, is a native of Germany, but has been a resident of this country since he was eighteen years of age. He was born in the Prussian province of Hanover on February 19, 1847, son of Johann Albert and Margaret (Sander) Mehlhop, also Hanoverians, the former of whom was a carpenter and both of whom spent all their lives in their native country. They were the parents of three children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the eldest, the others being Mary, who is still living in Hanover, and Beta, who is married and lives in Grant county, Wisconsin.

Upon completing his schooling in his native land, John H. Mehlhop decided to come to the United States and seek his fortune in the Northwest. He came over here in 1865, he then being eighteen years of age, and located at La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the neighborhood of which he was for five years engaged in farming. He then went to Grant county, that same state, was married there in 1878 and worked at general labor there until he came to this county, where he ever since has made his home. In 1882 Mr. Mehlhop came over to this part of Iowa and after prospecting a bit bought a quarter of a section of land in Henry township, this county. The next year he moved with his family on to that farm and began to develop and improve the same. From the very beginning he prospered in his farming operations and presently added to his holdings by the purchase of an additional quarter section and on this farm he remained engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1907, when he retired from the active labors of the farm, bought his present handsome home at Remsen and has lived there ever since. Mr. Mehlhop is a Democrat and has served the public in the capacity of school director and as treasurer of the school district in which he lived for years. Though he and his wife started in a small way when they began life's journey together, their united efforts have been successful and they are now enjoying the ample rewards of their industry and prudent management.

It was in the fall of 1878, in Grant county, Wisconsin, that John H. Mehlhop was united in marriage to Anna Meyer, who also was born in the province of Hanover, a daughter of Frederick and Mary (Seamers) Meyer, natives of that same province, the former of whom was a brick-mason and who spent all their lives in their native land. Frederick Meyer and wife were the parents of five children, two of whom died in Hanover and three of whom came to this country, those besides Mrs. Mehlhop being Dietrich, a brick mason, who died at Plattville, Wisconsin, and Fred, a tailor, who died in Chicago. To Mr. and Mrs. Mehlhop six children have been born, namely: John, who died at the age of eight years; Henry, a well-known farmer of Henry township, this county, who married Emma Erickson and has three children, George, Alma and Marie; Louise, who died at the age of two years and six months; Anna, who married John Hollen, a farmer, of Henry township, and has four children, Mary, Henry, Emma and Viola; Carl, a farmer of Henry township, and Bertha, who died at the age of six months. The Mehlhop established a very substantial home in Henry township and ever took an earnest part in the various social activities of that neighborhood.

Henry Meinen, a native of Germany, and now a successful farmer of Preston township, Plymouth county, was born on March 11, 1860, and was the son of Anton and Mary (Taddieken) Meinen.

Anton and Mary (Taddieken) Meinen were natives of Germany and there received their education in the public schools and grew up and were married. As a young man Anton Meinen engaged in farm work, and during his residence in Germany he was employed as a farm hand in his home community. He learned the system of thorough and systematic farming and the care of farm stock. In 1866 he and his wife decided to come to America. On their arrival in the United States they located in Illinois, where Mr. Meinen rented land and engaged in general farming, for many years. In 1885 he came to Iowa and purchased two hundred and forty acres of land in section 35, Preston township, Plymouth county. The tract at that time was all wild prairie land, was without improvements and required much work to place it under cultivation. Mr. Meinen at once erected a small frame house, sixteen by twenty feet, and in this the family lived for some years, during which time he devoted himself to the development of the place and making many valuable improvements. He planted a fine grove of six acres and enlarged his house and built his barn. During the early years of his life on the place, the house was much damaged and the barn ruined by a cyclone. He at once rebuilt both the house and the barn, and planted a larger grove for future protection from the devastating winds. He developed his farm until he had one of the best in the township, and his home was one of the best in the community. He engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1905, when he retired from the active duties of farm life and lived with his son, Henry, until the time of his death on January 22, 1915, at the age of eighty-three years. Mrs. Meinen died on August 8, 1910, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Meinen were active members of the German Lutheran church and took much interest in all church work, and were prominent in the social life of the community, where they were held in the highest esteem by all who knew them. They were the parents of three children, Henry, Anna and Mary,. Anna and Mary died in the year 1871. Henry Meinen received his education in the public schools of Illinois, and remained at home until he was thirty years of age. While living in Illinois, he assisted his father with the work on the farm and came with him to Plymouth county. Here he assisted his father in the work of developing and improving the home farm. In the fall of 1889 Henry Meinen was united in marriage to Lena Nannen, one of the prominent young women of the county. In the spring of 1890 the father gave Henry Meinen eighty acres of land in section 35, Preston township, in recognition of his having lived so long at home. There was no building on the place at that time, and Mr. Meinen purchased forty acres from John Pitcher at forty dollars per acre with scant improvements. He at once entered into the task of developing his new farm and preparing it for the crops. As a general farmer and stock man he met with much success, and in time his farm was recognized as one of the finest in the township. In 1903 he built a fine two-story modern house, and later one of the finest barns in the district. Here he has planted beautiful groves, and today he has a most ideal country home, and one that is supplied with every convenience.

As Henry Meinen prospered in his work, he purchased more land, and is today the owner of fourteen hundred acres of the finest land, all of which is under high cultivation and well improved. A part of his land is in Sioux county, and he also owns one section in Texas. He is a strong advocate of intensive farming and the keeping of the best stock. He generally has about one hundred head of Shorthorn cattle and two hundred head of hogs. Much of the grain and hay that he raises on his farms, he feeds on the place, and his cattle and hogs, when ready for the markets, are recognized as among the best that are shipped from that section of the country. He takes much pride in his animals and gives them the best of care and attention. His early training on the farm, together with the German instinct for industry and economy, have been vital factors in his success as a business man and a farmer.

To Henry and Lena Meinen have been born the following children; Herman, Minnie, Bertha, Alfred, Emma and Alma. Minnie is the wife of Ernest Frerichs, a prominent young farmer of Preston township, they are the parents of one child, Esther. The other children are at home with the parents. Mr. and Mrs. Meinen are active members of the German Lutheran church, and have long been prominent in the social and the church life of the community. They take great pleasure in the development of the social and moral conditions of their home district, and are held in the highest regard by all.

Politically, Henry Meinen is identified with the Republican part, and has always taken an active interest in the civic life of the township and the county. Being a man of excellent judgment, his advice and influence are often sought in matters of public concern. For a number of years he served as a director of his school district.

Rev. J. D. Meyer the popular minister of the First German Evangelical Lutheran church of Grant township, Plymouth county, was born in Hanover, Germany on December 5, 1855, the son of Claus and Katherine (Sternberg) Meyer, both of whom were natives of the Province of Hanover. The father was a farmer and devoted the greater part of his life to that work. J. D. Meyer is one of a family of six children, three of whom are now living; J. D., Claus and Anna.

J. D. Meyer received his education in Basdahl, Germany, and at a mission at Hermansburg. After completing his studies at the latter place he came to New York on December 14, 1884. He went at once to Watertown, Wisconsin, where he was ordained by the Rev. H. A. Alladd on December 21, 1884. After his ordination he took charge of St. Paul's church at Watertown, where he remained for four years. He was then transferred to the Oak Lawn church in Cook county, Illinois, where he remained until 1895, when he came to his present charge. Here he has made improvements in the church and the church property, and has well established himself as one of the successful ministers of the county.

On August 13, 1886, Rev. J. D. Meyer was united in marriage to Minnie Markgraf, the daughter of Fred Markgraf and wife and to this union five children were born as follow: Hannah, Frances, Fred, Minnie and John. Hannah is the wife of George Von Hagel; Frances married Henry Jansen; Fred is attending Fahlin Lutheran Seminary at St. Paul, Minnesota, and John is farming in Germany. The mother of these children died on October 19, 1897, and Reverend Meyer later married Anna Beieger. To this union five children have been born as follow; Ernest, Loretta, Claus, Herman and Martha. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have made many friends during their many years of residence in the township and by their Christian lives and work, they have had much to do with he high moral standard of the township and county. Mr. Meyer is a forcible speaker and an excellent organizer and the church today stands as a monument to his untiring efforts among the people of the community. Being a man of much ability and broadmindedness, his teachings and influence are felt wherever he is known.

Frank P. Mills a well-to-do retired farmer of this county, proprietor of the Bank of Westfield at Westfield and dealer in live stock at that place, is a native son of Plymouth county and has lived here all his life.  He was born on the old Mills homestead place in Sioux township on March 16, 1874, son of David and Sarah (Robertson) Mills, pioneers of that section of the county and among the best-known and most influential residents of that neighborhood, further mention of whom is made in a biographical sketch relating to Milo S. Mills, brother of the subject of this sketch, presented elsewhere in this volume.

Reared on the homestead farm on which he was born, Frank P. Mills received his elementary schooling in the district school of his home neighborhood and supplemented the same by a course in the high school at Sioux City, meanwhile aiding in the labors of the home farm, and remained at home until the time of his father's death in 1892.  The estate then was divided, the share of Frank P. Mills being five hundred and twenty acres of fine valley land in Sioux township, near the Big Sioux river.  Though but eighteen years of age at the time, Mr. Mills assumed the responsibility and straightway started in to further improve and develop that portion of the farm which had come to him and he was successful from the start of his individual operations.  From the beginning he paid large attention to the raising of cattle and hogs and most of the grain raised on his place was profitably fed to his stock, Hereford cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs being his specialties.  After his marriage in 1901 Mr. Mills established his home on his place and gradually added to the same until he became the owner of eight hundred and forty acres of well-cultivated and highly-improved land, three hundred and twenty acres of which he later sold, but still retains his original tract of five hundred and twenty acres, on which there are two sets of substantial buildings, one new and modern in every respect and the other greatly improved since he came into possession.  Mr. Mills continued farming in Sioux township until 1915, in which year he retired from the farm and with his family moved to Westfield, where he has a very pleasant home.  Upon locating at Westfield Mr. Mills opened the Bank of Westfield, a private concern, of which he is president and sole owner.  The bank was started with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars and Frank Anderson is the cashier and Thomas Haynes, assistant cashier.  Further five thousand dollars has been added to the capital, making the latter fifteen thousand dollars.  Mr. Mills also engaged in the unifying and selling of live stock upon locating at Westfield and has been quite successful in that line, annually shipping to Chicago and to Sioux City large quantities of stock.  He is a Republican and during his residence on the farm for some time served the public as township trustee in Sioux township, as well as in other public capacities and is now treasurer of Westfield township.

In February, 1901, Frank P. Mills was united in marriage to Clara Butler, of Elk Point, South Dakota, daughter of J. B. Butler and wife, and to this union four children have been born, David Milor, deceased; Gladys A., John Joseph, also deceased, and Frank C.  Mr. and Mrs. Mills are members of the Catholic church and take a proper interest in parish affairs, as well as in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful in advancing all movements designed to promote the common interest thereabout.

Milo S. Mills, one of the best-known and most substantial farmers of Sioux township, this county, is a native son of Iowa and has lived in this state the greater part of his life.  He was born at Sioux City on March 9, 1859, son of David M. and Sarah (Robertson) Mills, pioneers of this region and among the most prominent and influential of the early settlers of this part of the county, both of whom spent their last days in Sioux township, this county.

David M. Mills, who for many years played a prominent part in the development of this part of the state and of the neighboring state of South Dakota, was a native of New Hampshire, but when a youth moved with his parents to Michigan, the family settling on a farm in the Gull Prairie neighborhood, where his parents both spent the remainder of their lives.  When about sixteen years of age David M. Mills joined a party en route to the gold fields of California and with that party drove across the mountains and the plains to the new El Dorado.  After mining there for some time he bought a threshing-machine outfit, the first of its kind ever seen in California, and for some time operated the same on the Santa Rosa ranch, an immense ranch in south central California, people traveling for hundreds of miles throughout that section to witness the operations of the machine.  David M. Mills "made good" financially, in California and remained there for five or six years, at the end of which time he took a sight-seeing trip through South America, the same consuming a year or more.  Returning thence to California, he presently came back East, going to Champaign, Illinois, on a visit to a brother, and about the year 1856 came to Iowa, stopping at Sioux City,  Whence he shortly after ward went to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the employ of the Great Western Land Company, and while thus employed "held down" a pre-emption claim to a quarter of a section of land for the company on the site of the present city of Sioux Falls.  After a sometime residence there he came over into this part of Iowa and pre-empted a quarter section of land in Sioux township, this county, paying one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre for the same.  He put up a small two-room house on the tract, broke twenty-five or thirty acres of the land and was living there when the Indian scare in 1862 drove the few settlers away from this region.  Mr. Mills took his family to Sioux City during the time of the Indian trouble and the family remained there until the spring of 1865, he meanwhile making trips back and forth to his farm and cultivating the same, and at the time just mentioned he moved with his family over to Elk Point, where he established his home and where he remained until the fall of 1872, meanwhile retaining and cultivating his land in this county.  During his residence at Elk Point, Mr. Mills served for two years as United States revenue assessor for the territories of the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana and also served for two terms as a member of the Dakota territorial Legislature.  In the fall of 1872 he moved his family back to this county and again settled on his farm in Sioux township, which he proceeded to improve in excellent shape, erecting fine new buildings on the same, planting a splendid grove and other-wise bringing the place up to a high standard of cultivation.  As his affairs prospered Mr. Mills bought further land and became largely interested in the raising of cattle and other live stock and soon became recognized as one of the most substantial farmers and stockmen in this part of the state, at the time of his death, being the owner of seventeen hundred and fifty acres, four hundred acres of which lay across the river in the neighboring state of South Dakota.  Mr. Mills also took an active part in public affairs, served a term as sheriff of Plymouth county in an early day and helped to lay out the present road between Sioux Falls and Sioux City.  He died at his home in Sioux township on April 26, 1893, being then in the sixty-ninth year of his age.

David M. Mills was twice married.  It was after his return from California that he was united in marriage to Sarah A. Robertson, who was born on a farm in Elkhart county, Indiana, daughter of Jerome Robertson and wife, who later came to Iowa and made their home for awhile on a farm near Des Moines, whence they returned to Indiana, where Jerome Robertson spent the rest of his life.  His widow died at the home of a son in Missouri.  Jerome Robertson and wife were the parents of five children, of whom Mrs. Mills was the third in order of birth, the others being Jacob, Jane, Jerome and Henry.  Jacob and Jerome Robertson served as Union soldiers during the Civil War and the former was so severely wounded during that service that he never afterward regained his normal physical condition.  To David M. and Sarah A. (Robertson) Mills seven children were born, namely: Milo S., the immediate subject of this biographical sketch; Nellie, who died in her girlhood; Lottie, who also died in youth; Agnes, who died on September 1, 1885, at the age of sixteen years; David, who was suffocated while engaged in digging a well on September 16, 1891, he then being twenty years of age; Frank P., a banker at Westfield, this county, a biographical sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume, and George, who was drowned in the Big Sioux river on March 16, 1890, he then being thirteen years of age.  The mother of these children died in March, 1881, at the age of forty-five years, and in 1883 Mr. Mills married Jennie T. Gage, who survived him seventeen years, her death occurring on July 10, 1910.

Milo S. Mills received his schooling in the schools of Sioux City, of Elk Point and of Sioux township and remained on the home farm, a valuable assistant to his father in the work of improving and developing the same, until his marriage in 1888, after which he began farming on his own account, taking the management of a place of two hundred and forty acres in Sioux township, where he remained until 1909, in which year he moved to Lewiston, Idaho, in the vicinity of which place he bought a fruit ranch and there remained a year, at the end of which time he returned to Plymouth county and bought a tract of four hundred and eighty acres of the old home place and has there made his home ever since.  Upon taking possession of that place Mr. Mills erected his present handsome residence and there he and his family are very pleasantly and very comfortably situated.  In that same year he built the fine, modern barn, which serves as the center of his excellent group of farm buildings, and the other improvements on the place are in keeping with the same.  Some time after settling down there Mr. Mills bought an adjoining tract of one hundred and twenty acres and is now farming six hundred acres of fine land has been very successful.  He had adopted up-to-date methods of farming and uses a tractor for plowing.  Mr. Mills is a Republican and has held numerous township offices, ever and active promoter of the best interests of his home community.

It was on March 6, 1888, that Milo S. Mills was united in marriage to Laura E. Vradenberg, who was born in South Dakota, daughter of Cassius and Caroline (Kiltz) Vradenberg, who later became residents of this county, still later moving to Nebraska, where they are now living.  Cassius Vradenberg was born at Kalamazoo, Michigan, son of Philo and Alice (Owen) Vradenberg, who spent their last days there and who were the parents of four children, George, Cassius, Emily and Laura.  In 1869 Cassius Vradenberg came to this part of the country and entered a claim to a homestead in Union county, South Dakota, and after living there for some time, meanwhile having married in 1870, sold his homestead tract and bought a large farm lying between McCook and Jefferson, in South Dakota, where he remained until 1883, when he came over into Iowa and settled on what is now the Pat Gant farm in Sioux township, this county, where he remained for some years, at the end of which time he moved to Mapleton, moving thence, after a year, to Sioux City, where he remained until about twenty years ago, when he moved to Papillion, Nebraska, where he and his wife are still living and where he is engaged as a rural mail carrier.  It was in 1870 that Cassius Vrandenberg was united in marriage to Caroline Kiltz, who was born at Erie, Pennsylvania, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Kiltz, and to this union six children were born, of whom Mrs. Mills was the first-born, the other being Herbert, who died in youth; Lawrence, who also died in youth; Wilbur; Mary, who died in girlhood, and George.

To Milo S. and Laura E. (Vrandenberg) Mills seven children have been born,, namely: Belle, who was born on January 9, 1889, and on December 23, 1914, married James Robertson, a farmer, living in the vicinity of Gilbert, this state; Ulu, June 24, 1891, who married Harley Small, a farmer, living near Adaville, this county, and has two children, Donald Edward and Helen Bernice; Chester Owen, April 9, 1894, who is a valued assistant to his father on the home farm; George, June 3, 1895, who married Evelyn Hughes and is now the proprietor of a garage at Westfield; Fred, July 11, 1898, at home; Frances, December 16, 1900, and Nina, February 4, 1906.  The Millses are members of the Congregational church at Westfield and take a proper part in the affairs of the same, as well as in the general social activities of their home neighborhood.  Mr. Mills is a Royal Arch Mason and his son, Chester O. Mills, also is a Mason, while Mrs. Mills and two of her daughters are members of the local chapter of the order of the Eastern Star, in the affairs of which organization they take a warm interest.